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An expat (also known as an expatriate) is an individual who was born in one country but moves to live in another. As a result of relocating, an expat may be liable for tax in both their county of birth as well as the country they are currently residing in. If you are an expat currently residing in the UK, HMRC will treat you as a UK tax resident if you meet one of the following conditions. Either:
If HMRC declares that you are a UK tax resident, you’ll pay UK tax on your income from all over the world, not just that which you earn in the UK. If you’re not deemed a tax resident, you’ll only pay UK tax on your UK income, not any foreign income. Unfortunately, it is a very real possibility that you’ll be taxed twice on the same earnings, depending on your home country and if they have a Double Taxation Agreement with the UK.
The best way to confirm this is to check both the HMRC website and your country’s government website, where this will be listed.
Typically, an immigrant is someone who moves to another country with the intention to stay there, whereas expats will often live in one country for a while – generally for work – and then either return home or move to another country. This is not a hard and fast rule, however, so however you describe yourself is up to you!